Oakmont field hockey earns first District win in 4 years

Saturday

ASHBURNHAM — If the Oakmont Regional field hockey team had any unfinished business entering Central Mass. Division 2 Tournament play, it handled it early on Friday afternoon.

ASHBURNHAM — If the Oakmont Regional field hockey team had any unfinished business entering Central Mass. Division 2 Tournament play, it handled it early on Friday afternoon.

Four years removed from their last District playoff victory, the Spartans received a goal from Wachusett C League MVP Maddie Moran just 1:58 into the first half before tacking on three more in the second half as third-seeded Oakmont pulled away to a commanding 4-0 victory over 19th-seeded Northbridge in a first round game played at Arthur I. Hurd Memorial Field.

Cassidy Driscoll, Sarah Craig and Moran tallied goals in the second half as the Spartans managed to avoid the first round exits which befell them in each of the last two seasons.

The victory advances Oakmont (12-4-1) to the quarterfinal round on Sunday when it will host 11th-seeded Bromfield (10-4-5) — a 1-0 winner over sixth-seeded Monty Tech on Friday in Fitchburg — at 2 p.m.

“I just think we had some business that we need to finish this year.

I think today was a pivotal game for us. Getting a little bit further down the road into Districts — we haven’t been there for a little while and I kind of miss that.

So, I’d like to get there again,” said Oakmont head coach Leanne Roy.

“I felt like we dominated most of the game.

There wasn’t really too much opportunity where they were inside of our circle, but I think some of where we kind of fall apart is when we weren’t passing a lot and they were gaining possession of the ball.

So, we have to watch out for that.” Northbridge, which earned a 3-1 victory over 14th-seeded Uxbridge on Wednesday, ended its season with a 10-9-1 record. Moran’s early goal — pushed past Northbridge goaltender Karsyn Flanders — allowed the Spartans to play with the lead, something they were unable to do in back-to-back shutout losses to Littleton in the 2014 and 2015 District tournaments.

“When you’re in the District playoffs you want to be the one who scores first, that’s for sure, because that momentum carries and you don’t want to lose that,” said Roy. “So I think (Moran’s goal) set the tone for us and said, ‘OK, we can do this.’”

The goal was just the start of two dominant halves of field hockey turned in by the home team. With the field tilted heavily in their favor, the Spartans finished with more penalty corners (9-0) and more shots on goal (14-0).

And anytime Northbridge attempted to break out of its own zone on rushes led by Ashley Senosk, Abigail Labrie or Carissa Letendre, Oakmont midfielders Rachael Lemay and Katherine Arsenault were able to recover and lend aid to defenders Katherine Haschig and Autumn Tourigny.

“Defensively we played really well. We were able to double and do things that we practice and can only hope to actually use in a game, but they were able to break down the ball,” said Roy.

“The defense didn’t have to do too much today, but they were big when they did. Autumn had a really big play where if she didn’t stop up the ball it was one-on-one against (goaltender) Morgan (LeBlanc).

So, there were some big plays that were made defensively.”

Oakmont got off to another fast start to open the second half as Driscoll was credited with a goal just 1:57 into the period.

The senior forward fired a shot which Flanders saved, but the deflection off her leg pad hit a Northbridge defender’s stick and caromed into the cage for an own goal and a 2-0 lead for the Spartans.

Craig pushed the lead to 3-0 with an unassisted goal on one of Oakmont’s six second-half penalty corners with 13:26 remaining in the half.

Two and a half minutes later, Moran capped the scoring with a sweeping backhand shot which beat Flanders to the left corner with 10:56 remaining.

Flanders finished the afternoon with 10 saves for the Rams.

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